


when you said Lumos

by LadyKatAstrid



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Hufflepuff Luz, Hurt/Comfort, Slytherin Amity, mayhaps a tad of angst?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:33:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26579896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyKatAstrid/pseuds/LadyKatAstrid
Summary: Amity is tasked with helping Luz with her studies. Turns out those sessions were exactly what they both needed in their lives.But how did it all start?
Relationships: Amity Blight/Luz Noceda
Comments: 47
Kudos: 246





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Storm_Raven](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Storm_Raven/gifts).



> Trans lives matter.
> 
> One-shot based on Stormraven's art [here!](https://www.instagram.com/p/CFY6gbwJPNA/) (Beware of some +18 art in her account)  
> Show it some love and I might be persuaded to write more 👀

Hogwarts Express’ air horn rang, informing the last of the students gathered at the side of the platform 9¾ that the train was about to leave for Hogwarts.

Amity was already sitting in her own compartment, near the window, looking out at all the families hurrying to give one last kiss to their child or share one last wise word with them, clinging too tight to their kids before they could do it no more.

Her brow furrowed watching a mother and their child share one of those hugs. She couldn’t remember having one of those, ever.

On the other hand, she could remember perfectly the first time Em and Ed left for Hogwarts, but instead of feeling the same joy her siblings had been displaying, her heart had clenched in fear, for it was going to be the first time she would have to spend that much time apart from her siblings, alone with their parents.

For all their bickering and pranks, Em and Ed had been the only thing standing between their parents and her, but their first year at Hogwarts meant that Alador and Odalia Blight’s attention was completely focused on their youngest child.

And that had never been a good thing.

Their passive aggressive comments had been present the whole time the twins were away, but they had been especially malicious when the news about them getting into Ravenclaw came.

Alador Blight, a Ravenclaw himself, had been elated with the news, but Odalia Blight, sitting in the dining room with a white wine glass on one hand and a poised posture, had turned to little Amity and frozen her with a look.

“I guess they do have a wild and curious spirit, not unlike some Blights,” she had said. “But a true Blight always strives for perfection. We have a Slytherin legacy to maintain, after all.”

Odalia Blight had drank from the glass, raising one eyebrow at Amity before smiling back at her husband.

Amity had looked down at her half-eaten dinner, hunger leaving her completely. She had put her hands on her lap, shoulders slouching forward and making herself as small as she could. But Mr and Mrs Blight were more than comfortable ignoring their youngest child in favour of talking about the recent news of the Ministry of Magic.

Amity caressed the cover of the book resting on her lap while the train left the station, the streets and houses clearing the way for green fields and faraway forests, and all the while, the train compartment she had chosen for herself remained empty but for herself.

No one would dare to disturb a Blight that had not expressly announced they wanted to be talked to.

Her eyes roamed over to the satchel resting on the shelf above the seat in front of her with the name “Blight” inscribed with cursive lettering on one side, knowing that in no time she’d have to don the green and silver uniform it stored.

Her thoughts took her to that week before the start of her first Hogwarts’ school year, when her father had taken Em and Ed for a walk, leaving Amity alone with her mother in the big Blight Manor.

Amity had locked herself in her room, hoping her mother would forget about her and leave her alone, but she hadn’t had that much luck. Not bothering to knock on the door, Odalia Blight had appeared in her green and purple dress, looking expectantly at Amity.

Amity had swallowed and followed her mother down the corridors of the manor to one of the bathrooms used by the servants, a chair already waiting for them in front of the big mirror above the sink, scissors and two bowls resting in a nearby trolley.

Without a word, Amity had sat in the chair, heart beating furiously while her mother took her place behind her, a perfectly manicured hand gently reaching for the scissors. She had opened and closed them a few times while looking at Amity through the reflection, the snipping sound the only thing that could be heard throughout the manor.

“You will be a perfect Blight, won’t you?” She had asked. It had not been a question.

Her golden eyes had pierced Amity before the first cut had even been made, and Amity’s heart broke lock by lock that made its way to the floor, months of steadily growing her hair to her desired length disappearing in mere seconds.

When her mother had tilted her head forwards to shave the back of it, a single tear had escaped her eyes.

And when her mother had started applying that green dye to her brown hair, Amity had clenched her jaw to keep more of those heartbroken tears at bay.

“There,” her mother had said with a smile. “Green is a Blight colour. Don’t disappoint me.”

With her hair washed and rinsed, Amity had had the first look at the new hair framing her face, with her mother’s unspoken threat hanging behind her. She had nodded, excused herself, and gone to her bedroom to cry.

The following morning, Emira and Edric had complimented her on her hair, telling her she looked like one of them now, unaware of the effect their innocent words had in their little sister. Amity had smiled shyly, but she had had to look down to hide her shimmering eyes.

The Sorting Hat hadn’t uttered its first word when Amity had started asking, _begging_ to be put in Slytherin. She hadn’t cared if she had the courage, the dedication, or the intelligence to be put in another House, she _needed_ to be put in the serpent’s one.

She hadn’t wanted to find out what her mother would’ve done had she not be put in that House.

Outside her train compartment, the trolley witch walked by, not stopping to check if she wanted any sweets, because she knew Amity would reject them. They were halfway through the journey to the school, and Amity was already dreading another friendless year, unwilling to have to put up with her siblings’ pranks and the rest of the student’s whispers behind her back.

She sighed, closing her eyes for a second to compose herself or risk a breakdown in front of the whole train. She just needed to hang tight until she could reach her room in the dungeons, and then she could start the first day of school as she had started all her previous ones. Crying.

She jumped out of her seat when something collided with the compartment’s door, as if someone had just smashed their head into the crystal.

As predicted, Amity watched a hand appear from below, flapping around trying to find the handle of the door without looking, and once it did, helping its body stand up.

Amity watched with great curiosity the person that had crashed into her door get up. Her skin was tan and her hair was dark brown in colour, short and messy as she rubbed her head, her clothes looking a tad too big for her frame.

The unknown girl opened the door, striding in without glancing inside first.

“Oh, man, I thought we had left the door open,” she spoke in a gobsmacked voice.

She walked and slumped in the seat in front of Amity, closing her eyes and throwing her head back. Amity’s eyes widened, and she brought the book that had been lying in her lap to her chest, using it as a shield.

When she didn’t answer, the new girl opened her eyes, blinking rapidly and sitting up when she saw Amity on the other side. She looked around, noticing for the first time that it was just the two of them.

“You are not Willow or Gus,” the girl pointed out.

“No, I’m not.”

Amity’s heart skipped a beat when she heard her former best-friend’s name.

“Huh,” the girl continued. ”I could’ve sworn I followed the same path back. Now I have no idea of where they are.”

The tan girl looked at the door, rubbing her head once again, but this time questioningly.

“We’re almost at the school,” Amity found herself saying. But her next words surprised her even more. “You can stay here, if you want.”

The girl looked back at her with a bright smile and Amity felt her cheeks go warm. She tucked her hair behind her ear, avoiding eye contact.

“That would be awesome, thank you!” The girl paused for a second. “Wait, I don’t know your name.”

“I’m Amity. What about you?”

“Nice to meet you, Amity. I’m Luz, Luz Noceda.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops, did I say one shot? Happy Halloween Update I guess ^^
> 
> Based on Stormraven's art [Part 1](https://www.instagram.com/p/CFY6gbwJPNA/) [Part 2](https://www.instagram.com/p/CFfdJVDpe0D/) (Beware of some +18 art in her account)
> 
> And [Part 3](https://www.instagram.com/p/CHBWEs8JoYX/) based on this chapter

Amity had always liked the silence of the night.

If there was one thing she really liked about her House, it was the fact that it was located underneath the Black Lake, with the only sound entering the Common Room being created by the tidal currents outside the windows. Even its entrance, in the dungeons, was far from the populated areas, making the whole place too eerily silent for many people.

Not for her, though, Amity basked in the silence.

And even though the Slytherin Common Room was mostly empty during the day, it was the most beautiful during the nights, when the whole castle was asleep and the night rays pierced through the cold water to cast flickering reflections on cold tiles.

Amity had spent one too many nights looking out of those windows, smiling at the different creatures that swam around, grinning at their curious expressions when they realised there was a witch watching them, and waving at them the next time they returned.

And with the logs in the fireplace burning throughout the night, there had been more than one occasion where Amity had fallen asleep on a comfy couch, nestled in the soft green quilt of Slytherin.

On other occasions, before autumn’s rain-bearing clouds gave way to winter’s freezing white mantle, and when Slytherin students fell asleep in the common room, Amity took her time to walk through Hogwarts’ corridors unseen, her fluffy socks making no sound against the stone floors.

In those times, it seemed like she was walking down a different place, because even the most chatty of paintings was tranquil, the deadly silence broken only by the occasional snore or muttered word.

But it was a new school year, and September hadn’t even been gone by a day when Halloween’s decorations started to appear as if by magic; whether by a professor’s wand or a mischievous student’s, no one could really tell, but everyone could imagine two particular Ravenclaw students were behind it.

And it was on that night, one 1st of October, that Amity was wandering the castle’s corridors on her own with her wand secured in her pyjama’s pockets. She had walked them often enough to not need a light to show her the way; not even taking into account that she, as a witch, had better night vision than others.

She never usually had an exact destination in mind, but, that night, she decided to walk by the kitchens; it had not been a great day and she had skipped dinner to avoid socializing, unfortunately, that didn’t mean she didn’t need sustenance.

Fortunately, and for some reason, the elven staff working at the kitchens liked her enough to slip some food into her room when she didn’t have the strength to get out of bed, and they had given her unlimited leeway to appear unannounced in the kitchens when it was out of hours.

She was near the entrance of the kitchens when she heard a noise.

It wasn’t strange to hear pans and pots making rattling sounds, but what made Amity’s brows furrow and her ears flicker, was the fact that this noise didn’t come from the inside of the kitchens.

Her hand went to her side, to where she kept her wand. She knew it couldn’t be anything malicious or the whole school would’ve been notified, but she couldn’t help but feel fear creep into her body.

More sounds came from the darkened spot at the end of the corridor, as if someone was speaking to themselves in a quiet voice, but unbeknownst to them, the silence of the night carried their voice away. Amity heard a thump and mumbled words she didn’t understand.

Pulling out her wand, she squinted her eyes to discern a hunched figure on the floor with their back to her, and she readied the wand to catch them by surprise. 

She took a silent breath, and then Amity spoke.

“ _Lumos!_ ”

She raised her wand and a bright white light appeared on its tip, illuminating the whole area. She had closed her eyes not to get blinded, but the mysterious person hadn’t, and so Amity heard a yelp and a thud, followed by a groan.

The light of her wand dimmed a second later, and Amity opened her eyes to see a girl wearing a yellow otter onesie sprawled on the ground and rubbing at her eyes.

Amity gasped, recognising the girl, and she rushed to help her sit up.

“I’m so sorry, Luz, I didn’t know it was you,” Amity apologised.

Luz blinked slowly, overemphasizing the movement to adjust her eyes to the brightness of the now illuminated corridor before setting them on Amity.

“Whoa, that was some flash-o-dazzle, lightmity,” she shook her head. “Oh man, I really do need to learn that spell.”

Amity sat down in front of Luz, her wand a little bit to the side so it wouldn’t blind them but would still provide them with some light.

“What are you doing here?” Amity asked Luz, seeing her wand on the floor.

The other girl sighed, taking the wand she had discarded and caressing it with a defeated expression.

“I was trying to get some practice, but there are first years sleeping in Hufflepuff’s Common Room and I didn’t want to disturb them.” She smiled, tilting her head. “What about you?”

“I like walking around the castle at night,” Amity replied, shrugging. “I think it’s nice. Calming. What spell were you practicing?”

Luz chuckled nervously, rubbing the side of her head. “Lumos, actually. It’s been a month and I still can’t create the easiest of spells.” She pointed her wand to the side, readying her hand. “ _Lumos_.”

But nothing happened. The corridor continued to be illuminated only by Amity’s wand.

Luz sighed. “I don’t understand why I can’t do it.”

Amity bit her lip, thinking over her next words. “If you don’t mind it… How did you get in Hogwarts?”

Luz rested her elbows on her knees. “Eda helped me. She’s our neighbour and a family friend; she saw me doing magic this summer and she vouched for me.”

“So you _have_ done magic before.”

“Apparently?” Luz shrugged. “I didn’t know that’s what it was until Eda told me, but she didn’t have enough time to explain what was going on. She rushed so she could find me a spot at Hogwarts. Fortunately, she introduced me to Willow and Gus a few days before the train and that’s why I was with them; they were the only people I knew.”

Amity looked down at her fingers. “That must’ve been rough, realising there was another world in front of you, but I’m glad you have Willow and Gus there to help you. Even though you know them for such a small amount of time, you do look like you’re really good friends.”

Luz furrowed her brow. “But you also knew her, right? Willow said something about you two being friends when you were children, but that one day you weren’t.”

“Yeah, we… we knew each other,” said Amity in a clipped tone. “But… you know, family happened,” she chuckled, humourlessly.

“I actually don’t, my mum was very supportive of my coming here. Confused, but she didn’t argue with Eda when she said this school could help me. But you don’t have to tell me what happened between the two of you if you don’t feel comfortable,” Luz said, giving Amity a warm smile.

Amity looked up at that, mouth slightly open at Luz’s words, and she couldn’t help but blush seeing the other girl’s grin. Amity lowered her head again, hoping Luz hadn’t seen her pink cheeks.

Amity didn’t know what it was about this human that made her heart skip a beat every time she saw her. They hadn’t even exchanged more words than those shared in the train, where Amity had felt normal for once in her life, and yet, there was something about the human that was so magnetic.

After the train had arrived at the station, they had got off together, but Luz had spotted her friends on the other side of the platform, going to them after asking Amity if she would like to join them.

Amity had declined, of course; saying yes would’ve never been a real possibility, not with the threat of her parents over her head. Luz had been sad but she had left with a smile; after the human had left, Amity had felt the smile she had sported the whole ride slowly disappear, and that dreadful loneliness come back.

After that, Amity had thought it would be the end of their interactions, just a silly anecdote to keep her warm when the coldness of solitude swept over her, but no.

Luz had smiled at her every time they saw each other on the hallways or the Great Hall. She had waved at her the times they shared a class, or when their respective Houses passed each other in the Quidditch field.

The human had always noticed her, even from a distance, and every time, Amity would feel that small smile creep onto her face, and she would raise her hand in a timid wave.

“-mity? Amity?”

Amity shook her head, blinking rapidly to clear her head and get back to the present. She found the other girl’s face too close to hers and she backed quickly, almost falling over in the process.

“Ah!” She shrieked.

“Sorry about that. Are you with me?” Luz asked with curiosity. She offered her hand to help Amity sit properly.

Amity smiled, chuckling nervously while accepting her hand. “Yes, sorry. My mind was in another place, but I’m back.”

“No problem. But I will let you get back to your walk, you might get caught if you stay with me.”

Amity hesitated for a second.

She was far from the entrance of her House, and it was true that she should start thinking about making her way back, but something pulled at her heart, something that told her she didn’t want to be alone.

And so, mind made up, she looked at Luz.

“Or I could help you with your spell.”

Luz blinked, surprised, but soon enough, a smile overtook her face, her dimples full-on display.

“That would be awesome! Thank you, Amity.”

“Of course, there’s no problem,” the witch replied with a nervous smile as she fought a blush. “Let’s start with the wand position. Could you show me how you hold it?”

Luz nodded and raised her wand, pointing it to the wall. Amity watched her form, and perhaps a little surprisingly, Luz held it perfectly, meaning the issue wasn’t there.

“Good,” Amity continued. “Now the movement, without saying the words.”

Luz followed Amity’s instructions once again, Amity frowned. There was nothing wrong in how Luz moved her hand, her moves precise and smooth.

“Alright. Now with the spell, out loud.”

Luz cleared her throat. “ _Lumos_.”

Her hand placement and wrist followed the exact path of the Lumos spell, but no light came from the tip of the wand. But still, there was nothing Amity could find to correct, not even how she pronounced the spell. If anything, the whole thing had been performed better than most of her classmates, and they had had four years to practice.

“That’s strange,” Amity said out loud.

“What is? Am I doing something wrong?” Luz asked with disappointment in her voice.

“What? No, no, no,” Amity rushed to explain. “You are perfect.” She blushed. “I mean your hand movement! And the placement of the wand. Everything is perfect, there’s nothing wrong that I can see, I’m sorry.”

Luz sighed. “No, don’t worry, you are only trying to help. Eda said she would tutor me, but she’s had to organise her classes, and hasn’t had the time to teach me yet.”

“I’m sure she’ll free up soon enough, “Amity said thinking about her potions teacher. “I don’t know her outside of class, but she sounds really nice.”

“She is. She helped my mum and me during the summer; mum had to work so I stayed with Eda in the meantime. I always felt there was something more about her, because her house was spotless and yet I never saw her cleaning. Not to mention the cat and the two owls that live with her… I mean, King isn’t really a cat, but that’s what I thought he was, and Hooty is so chatty now that I know the truth. I really like this life, I just wish I could do magic too,” she finished with a sigh.

Amity thought it over, and she decided to take another route.

“May we try something else?” Luz nodded, shrugging. “Close your eyes. Magic is said to come from the heart, or at least from somewhere close to it. It’s the power source, if you will, what makes us different from muggles. What do you feel when you hear the word Lumos?”

Amity watched Luz murmur the word, followed by the furrowing of her brow.

“I don’t… really feel anything, to be honest,” she said with her eyes still closed.

“No? Nothing? Try to find a spark, or maybe warmth; that’s what witches usually feel when they’re trying to cast a spell.”

“I can’t feel any of that. I mean, I see its shape, but it doesn’t make me _feel_ anything.”

Now it was Amity’s turn to feel bewildered. “What do you mean ‘its shape?”

Luz tilted her head towards Amity, but her eyes were still closed. “Huh? Oh, you know, the triangles and the circles and the lines?” Luz raised her brows. “It kinda looks like a bird, now that I think about it.”

Amity’s mouth was hanging open, unsure of what to say.

“You know what I mean, right?” Continued Luz.

“I… don’t? I’ve never heard anyone say they see a shape when they cast a spell. Could you show me what you see?”

That’s when Luz opened her eyes. “Oh, I don’t have a pen, but here, I’ll show you.”

The human lifted her finger and drew a big circle.

“And inside it you have the small triangle up here, above the smaller circle, and then there’s the big triangle with the line dividing it. And within the triangle you have the two lines crossing it… right... here.”

When Luz drew the last line, and her finger lifted from the figure in the air, something happened. The air flashed for a moment, making Luz and Amity recoil and close their eyes, but when they opened them, there was a floaty gleaming sphere where Luz had been drawing.

The two girls stared at the thing, mouth agape and too stunned to do anything but gawk. Luz was brave enough to close the distance and get to it, though, and when she touched it, the sphere blinked and disappeared.

Both of them gasped and looked at each other in surprise, and slowly, a wide smile formed in their faces.

“That was…” started Luz.

“Magic,” Amity finished.

Luz laughed, throwing herself at Amity and hugging her tight. The Slytherin girl blushed and fumbled with her hands, not knowing what to do with them, but in the end, she carefully patted Luz’s back.

“I did it!” 

“You did it!” Amity agreed with a smile. “I’ve never seen Lumos cast it like that. Do it again,” she encouraged Luz.

Luz backed up a little and repeated the same hand movements. Knowing what to expect, Amity paid more attention this time, and her eyes narrowed at the thin and shimmering trace Luz’s finger left on the air as she drew the circle and the shapes inside.

As before, a little floating light source was created, and both girls stared at it for a few minutes with big smiles.

Amity looked at Luz. “It really is incredible…” 

“What’s incredible is that you two haven’t realised you’ve been busted yet.”

A voice rang behind them, making them jump, and their lights went off as Amity dropped her wand and Luz’s head hit the orb, making it disperse like marbles.

When another wand lit up, Amity and Luz turned to find two faces looking down at them, one with a mischievous expression and the other one sporting a displeased frown. 

“What do you think you are doing up this late, young ladies?” Lilith Clawthorne asked with a disapproving glance.

“I… We-”

“We weren’t-”

Both girls stuttered in their answers, not really knowing what to say. They fumbled for words for a couple of seconds until the woman next to Lilith, Eda Clawthorne, broke down in laughter.

“See? I told you we could scare them shitless.” She snorted. “But as much as it pains me, she’s right, whatcha doing up when you should be in bed?”

“We were training,” Amity replied with her heart beating wildly.

“There are other training times, Miss Blight, and other places,” Lilith said with a finality that made Amity flinch.

“It was my fault,” Luz stepped up rapidly. “I asked her yesterday if she could help me with my spells, and it was me who suggested we try it at night. I’m sorry.”

Lilith frowned at the human and opened her mouth to answer, but her sister beat her to it.

“It’s alright, kid,” she said, patting the student’s head.” I know you’ve been waiting for me to help you with your magic; I just didn’t expect to have so many things to do. One would think I could use last year’s syllabus, but no, apparently I have to make a new one,” she finished with a tsk.

Lilith grumbled at her sister. “Edalyn, you know very well that new students might require other types of learning, and that is why we must update our guidelines.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” Eda waved at Lilith’s words, dismissing them with a smirk as her sister said exactly what she wanted. “And that’s what I’m trying to do with Luz, but you keep pushing me to do paperwork.”

Lilith let out an indignant huff, opening her mouth to reply back when she caught herself. “Do as you please, Edalyn, but if you want to argue about that, I suggest you speak to McGonagall about it. Besides, we’re getting off topic, these two young girls are out of bed after hours, and a punishment has to be given.”

Amity shrank back, her heart falling down at the words of the Head of Slytherin. She knew where the real punishment would come from, and it would not be from Hogwarts.

“Really?” said Eda sceptically. “You want to write a letter to this one’s,” she pointed at Amity, “family to tell them she was breaking the rules by staying up late? Not even her siblings have been caught, and we know they are the masterminds behind some of the most infamous pranks, and you want to tell them that the first to get busted is little miss perfect here? Even you know how that one will end.”

Lilith grimaced and crossed her arms, looking to the side.

“I’ll take the punishment,” said Luz, breaking the silence with her head high.

Eda exchanged a look with Lilith, and the latter sighed, conceding.

“Both of you will,” Lilith spoke. “You, Luz Noceda, will have no free time after classes for a month, and you, Amity Blight, will tutor your Hufflepuff schoolmate for the same duration. It also means no Hogsmeade trips and no quidditch.”

“But I-” tried to argue Amity.

“You want it to be two months?” Lilith threw her student a sharp look. Amity fell silent. “You’ll be allowed to train your team, but you won’t be allowed to fly. Understood?” Amity nodded embarrassed. “Now, the both of you better head to your respective dorm rooms, and get some sleep.”

Amity retrieved her wand from the floor, and Luz and she looked at each other, exchanging a goodbye with their eyes, before parting ways at the end of the corridor.

“Wait a moment,” said Eda, making the two girls turn. “Did you achieve it?” She looked at Luz.

Luz blinked, not understanding what Eda meant for a second, but then her face lit up with a beaming smile. Raising her left hand, she drew _Lumos_ in the air and created another floating light, holding it in her hands.

“I’m a witch!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look out for future chapters, and if you have any suggestions, don't hesitate to hit us up by leaving a comment or an ask!  
> [My tumblr](https://ladykatastrid.tumblr.com/)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little bit on Luz's backstory and a new character makes an appearance :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based on Stormraven's art [Part 1](https://www.instagram.com/p/CFY6gbwJPNA/) [Part 2](https://www.instagram.com/p/CFfdJVDpe0D/) and [Part 3](https://www.instagram.com/p/CHBWEs8JoYX/) (Beware of some +18 art in her account)
> 
> Happy new year, and stay safe!

Hogwarts.

If there was one thing Luz always wanted but never felt like she could attain, was to feel part of something.

 _You'll fit in eventually,_ they told her, _you just need to tone it down._

Why was it so difficult for some people to see that Luz was just the way she was? That she was not broken, that she did not need to "tone it down" to find people that liked her.

And then Hogwarts happened.

Granted, she was not the most popular, she was mostly known for being the magicless witch that had jumped four school years, and some of her peers were waiting to see if she was going to break, but still, nothing had felt more like home than the shivers down her spine she felt when she first entered the castle’s doors.

And there, she had found people that liked her for who she was, not in spite of it.

The first person she had felt a kinship with had been Eda, Head of Hufflepuff and Potions teacher, although Luz had first known her as just her neighbour.

Luz lived in the outskirts of town with her mum, nothing but nature around them, and with the closest house being deep in the woods. It was an old house, with the cracks in the wooden exterior more prominent than the yellow-ish colour it had been painted with, but nonetheless, the house was always clean and cared for. 

Camila, Luz’s mum, had always thought the house was empty because they never saw anyone come by, but that had changed one summer, when an older looking woman had knocked on their door looking for some salt. 

It had caught them by surprise, and the way the woman behaved had struck them as odd, but her mum was nothing if not neighbourly, and the woman had left with two packages of salt, per her request.

Eda, she had said her name was before leaving.

The following day, Camila had sent Luz with some homemade food for the woman, and sleeping on Eda’s porch, Luz had met King, a weird looking cat with a black body, white head, and very sharp claws that had accepted Luz’s pets with not so much as a blink.

The day after that one, it had been Eda who had appeared at their door, brandishing a tray of what she had called “dragon muffins”, where Luz and her mum had discovered where most of the salt had gone to.

That afternoon, Eda had stayed for coffee, mumbling something about the rarity of that beverage at her work, and that had prompted Camila to ask where she worked. Apparently, she was a teacher in a boarding school located in the countryside during the year, and that’s why she was only seen during the summer.

Camila and Eda had chatted the afternoon away, and it had left Luz with nothing to do but go out to the front porch and watch the afternoon go by. What she hadn’t expected had been to see two owls perched in their handrail, patiently waiting.

Once she was sat on the bench, the animals’ eyes had locked into hers, and thus had started a stare match that Luz lost after two minutes.

Eventually, the smaller of the two had flown to perch on Luz’s shoulder, and the other, too slender and stretched out for Luz’s liking, had flown to sit by her side. The slender one had hooted, almost like a question, and thus had started a conversation between that one and Luz, until Eda appeared through the door, announcing it was time to leave.

Seeing them, Eda had smirked. “I see you’ve met Owlbert and Hooty; I hope he hasn’t bothered you too much,” she had said.

“Not at all,” Luz had answered honestly. “Hooty and I had a pleasant conversation. Owlbert was happy to receive some pets.”

“That’s surprising about Hooty, he’s never pleasant.” Her eyes had narrowed at Hooty’s sound of protest, but she had directed her next words at Luz. “Hey kid, you’re always welcomed in my house if things get boring around here, alright? Whether I’m there or not, my door is always open.” She had left with a final wink. “I have a feeling we’ll see each other soon, Luz Noceda.”

And with a wave, the two owls had followed her, leaving Luz wishing she were as cool as the owl lady.

***

It was a sunny afternoon, a rare sight in mid-November, with the wind blowing a gentle breeze through the castle walls that carried laughter or screams, depending on what class was being taught. It was one of those afternoons where the weather required a jacket, but in which a winter one made students sweat, and a summer one would surely get any of them sick.

Luz was making her way to Hagrid’s hut; Headmaster McGonagall had shuffled her timetable around so she could attend classes she had missed in the past four years, and that afternoon, she had a class with him.

She ran down the slope, almost falling down once or twice on the way, and was breathless by the time she knocked on the hut’s door.

It opened, but Luz was too busy trying not to heave up her lungs to look up.

“Ah! It’s you, finally.”

Luz took a deep breath and looked up, and then she continued looking up until she could look Hagrid in the eyes.

“Hello, professor, I’m ready for my lesson.”

Hagrid chuckled, ruffling Luz’s hair. “You are not late, little one, you did not have to run all the way here,” he told her.

Hagrid closed the door behind him and started to walk towards the forest with Luz beside him.

“I know, professor,” Luz answered. “But I had to! I have this urge when I see a slope, I have to speed it down as fast as I can!”

That earned her another chuckle.

“There has been more than one student who fell on their face trying to do what you did; Madam Pomfrey became an expert at setting noses as a result.”

“I’ll have that in mind next time. Roll with my momentum, not with my face.”

“Or grow some wings.”

Luz’s eyes widened and she gasped. “Could I do that?!”

Hagrid slowed down a little and palmed Luz’s back. Problem was, his little tap had more strength than a person’s average, and it left Luz stumbling forward.

“Doesn’t look like you’ve got any wings back there,” he said helping Luz up. “But you’re smart with that magic of yours, and I’m certain you’ll find a way to fly that doesn’t involve a broom or a beast.”

They continued walking, exchanging pleasant conversation, and arrived at the edge of the Forbidden Forest five minutes away from Hagrid’s cabin. From afar, Luz could see their destination: the Hippogriff enclosure.

When they got closer, Luz realised there was a student perched up on the wooden fence.

“Viney! How many times have I told you not to sit on the fence?” Hagrid called out the student.

His voice startled the student, making her jump down in a hurry.

“Sorry about that, Hagrid.” She rubbed the back of her head when they got closer, shyly smiling.

The new girl, Viney, was slightly taller than Luz, and she was wearing the red and gold colours from Gryffindor.

“It’s alright,“ smiled Hagrid. “You know I can’t be cross with you for long. Luz,“ he said turning to her, “this is Viney, my best student, and she’s here to help you with your lesson today. Hippogriffs.”

The grass moved gently with the gusts of wind, and inside the enclosure, Luz could see twelve or thirteen of these creatures with the bodies, hind legs, and tails of a horse, but their heads, front legs and wings belonged to an eagle. They were leisurely padding through the field, sniffling here and there.

“They’re amazing!” Luz clapped her hands, hardly containing her glee.

The other girl laughed. “You’ll get to be close to them, but first I’m going to teach you the basics, is that alright with you, Hagrid?”

He nodded. “I have to leave you both, but you have my full support, Viney. You almost know this stuff better than I do.”

He left with a wave, and the Gryffindor student led Luz to the fence, where a book was awaiting them.

“You usually learn this stuff in your third year, but seeing as you skipped it, I’ll give you a rundown of all and then we can get in and pet them. Hagrid told me you elected Care of Magical Creatures for your fourth year, so we’ll need a couple more afternoons to go over the Flobberworm and the Salamander too, but don’t worry, it's easy stuff.”

Luz nodded along to everything Viney said. When the other student leapt up and sat on the fence, she shot her a curious glance, but after being invited up, Luz sat next to Viney.

“This is _The Monster Book of Monsters_ , for you,” Viney gave her the book. “I don’t know if you had enough time to buy it, but you can keep it to yourself or leave it in the library. It was mine, so there are notes in the margins, but hopefully those help more than hinder,” she smiled.

“Wow… Thank you so much, Viney! I’ll take good care of it.”

“You are welcome. Now, open the book to page 394 and we’ll start.”

They went on like this for two hours, with Viney explaining facts about Hippogriffs and Luz asking additional questions. The young Hufflepuff soaked up all the information, taking extra notes and underlining important bits.

“How do you know all this?” Luz asked after finally closing the book.

Viney leaped down and stretched her body. “My parents own a farm, and I’ve seen Hippogriffs and other fantastical animals since I was little; I even have my own Hippogriff here, that one.” She pointed at one of them. “Puddles, girl! Come here!”

One of the beasts rose its head and half flew half ran to them. The winged beast’s body was a mix between brown and grey, except for the wings, which were white, and it had golden coloured eyes.

“Puddles, this is Luz. Luz, this is Puddles. She was born on a very rainy day, and the second after she was born she fell into a puddle, hence the name.”

The Hippogriff rubbed against Viney’s side, and Viney indulged the beast, petting her beak.

“Can I?” Asked Luz, her eyes going over from Viney to Puddles.

“Sure, go ahead.” Viney walked to Luz with Puddles under her arm, letting the younger student introduce herself to Puddles, smiling when the Hippogriff let her get near. “Puddles is a very calm creature, and Hagrid usually uses her for the classes. Over there you have Stormswift and her daughter Stormfly, the silvery one and the blue one.” 

“Wow...” Luz was amazed at the softness of the Hippogriff’s feathers. “What a magnificent creature.”

Her words rewarded her with a soft headbutt.

“They really are. Prideful, but once they bond with you, they bond forever. Hagrid told me to help you out with the basics of third year, but if you need any help with this year’s, I can always be found either here or helping out in the infirmary.”

“Coolio, thanks. I have Amity helping me out with the rest of the subjects, and also Eda.”

“Amity Blight?” Luz nodded and Viney chuckled. “You better watch out for her older siblings, Emira and Edric, those two are real troublemakers. But Emira is our top student, so if you need any help with Charms or Transfiguration, I can put in a good word for you with her.”

“Do you know her well or something?”

Viney chuckled. “Or something.” The bells of the castle rang, indicating it was time for dinner. “Dang it, I thought we had more time, but I guess not. We’d better get to the castle before the doors close or we’ll get detention, and after hearing about you and Mini Blight, I don’t think you want that.”

“Not really, no,” said Luz grinning. “Thank you for the lesson, Viney.”

“No problem, that’s what we’re here for. Now, come on, we can fly there in Puddles if you tell no one.”

“As long as it’s not the last time?” Luz shot back cheekily.

Viney grinned. “Deal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look out for future chapters, and if you have any suggestions, don't hesitate to hit us up by leaving a comment or an ask!  
> [My tumblr](https://ladykatastrid.tumblr.com/)


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